


Movie Night

by steampunkepsilon



Series: Newmanndo Ficlets [3]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Fluff, I am shameless, Lots of cuddles, Movie Night, Multi, Oops, Polyamory, SO MUCH FLUFF, also could be taken as entirely platonic, cold babs, cuddle puddle and oozing snuggles, i forgot to write in Max, if you don't like the additional beefcake you can pretend the bonus ending didn't happen lol, law and order shenanigans, little grumpy nerds, nerd triangle with bonus roast beef, newmann - Freeform, newmanndo - Freeform, sleepy babs, usual bickering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 02:38:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3158054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steampunkepsilon/pseuds/steampunkepsilon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The power goes out at the Shatterdome a few weeks after the end of the war, and the boys make due as they can in the chilly temperatures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> AKA Nerd Triangle with Bonus Roast Beef. 
> 
> I blurbed this out because this tag needs more love. Hope you enjoy the shameless fluff.

“ -save the world and _this_ is how they thank us, after all the ass we kicked -- “

“ Newton, as much as I’d like someone to blame, the staff can’t control when the power goes out and generator energy is reserved for emergency use and scanning systems -- “

“ -- and I say that’s _bullshit_ , don’t tell me they have enough power to keep a scanning system that isn’t even useful anymore going but not enough to get us some _goddamned heat!_ “

Tendo didn’t bother knocking as he approached the door to Hermann’s quarters, choosing instead to just nudge his way inside with his shoulder, lifting a hand as the volume of the bickering increased. “ ‘Ey! Nerd kings! “ he snapped.

Hermann and Newt, both bundled up to the necks against the chill that had seeped into the room and bristling with discomfort-fueled irritation, looked at him sharply, a mix of surprise and relief on their faces as they eyed him and the stack of blankets he’d procured. He lowered his hand to shift the load, hauling it over to the bed between them and depositing it with a heavy thud, hands on his hips and turning to look at them both in turn. “ You two survive all of that, and now you’re going to try murdering each other again over some frosty temperatures? Ah-uh. I don’t think so. _Sit._ “

Wrinkling his nose distastefully, Hermann obediently sank down onto the edge of the mattress, a shiver working its way up his spine. It had only been maybe four hours since the power to the main part of the Dome -- quarter levels included -- had blacked out in the face of weather and line damage, and already the metal everything in the building had doomed them to unreasonably cold temperatures. Metal and cement weren’t as insulative as one could hope, and given that the only power right now was going to the Med bay, LOCCENT, and the lifts, heating up several floors of mostly-empty rooms wasn’t priority. Even though they’d taken whatever precautions they could to keep things moderate, there wasn’t much they could do about drafts but bundle up and deal. And considering it was less than a month after the clock had stopped, for now it was ‘make due with what you can’ and leave the bigger issues to be worried over. 

Tendo gave the hood of his parka an appreciative pat, watching Newt as he ignored the direction and paced an angry little circle, arms crossed over his chest and huffing. They were both cold, Tendo was cold, everyone was cold, and while Hermann was probably irate because of his legs and already mild tendency towards bad circulation, Newt was just grumpy in general about the ordeal, and he sighed. “ C’mon, sit down, take a breather. We’ll put a movie in and wait it out, they said they’d be able to get power up by tomorrow. “ 

“ This is total crap, man, “ Newt said, practically pouting, and Tendo could feel the facepalm from where Hermann sat. “ Multibillion dollar freakin’ base and they can’t keep the stupid _heat_ working, and -- “

“ Newton Geiszler, I said _park it_ , “ Tendo snapped finally, and Newt whipped his head up to look at him with lips pressed into a firm line. Pointing at the bed, the J-Tech waited until Newt finally uncrossed his arms and shuffled over to sit, still obviously displeased by the situation but shutting up about it for the time being. Tendo gave his head a pat too and turned to unfold the blankets one by one, flapping them out over the bed on top of the several that Hermann already had accumulated there. “ Like I said. Movie, some chips, nice and cozy, “ he said, stretching out the last of the blankets. There was a nice layer on the bed, now, at least. “ And you can quit being so damn grumpy, and Hermann can regain feeling below the waist, and we’ll see how things go from there. “ He clapped, gesturing to the makeshift insulation he’d made out of the provided materials and a few scattered pillows. “ In you go. “

Groaning in sync, Newt and Hermann gave each other guilty, vaguely apologetic glances and Newt went about kicking off his shoes, reluctantly discarding his jacket and jeans to clamber across the blankets in his boxers and T-shirt and finding his way underneath. Hermann was a more complicated package to unwrap and required some minor assistance from Tendo, shedding the parka and his shoes. There was a blazer, a sweater, a button-down and an undershirt, and Tendo could only be silently grateful that he didn’t layer up on the bottom like he did on the top. He grew reluctant at two layers, but eventually the two of them managed to reason him into his undershirt and the sweater. He was stubborn about his trousers, though, and stared Newt down as he pouted right back. 

“ No pants in the warmth fort, Herms, come on. They’re just gonna get uncomfortable to sit in anyways, “ he insisted, and with a groan he finally gave in, absolutely stubborn about the thermals he’d donned under them and finally letting Tendo help him crawl over to join Newt. He was already dressed down to sweater-mode, changing into shorts for the reason of being labeled ‘most likely to have to answer the door’ and turning down the battery-powered lamp they’d been using to guide their movements while the emergency lighting around the ceiling was mostly useless. Newt’s laptop was the one most stocked with movies for watching, and he passed it from the desk to his lap, grabbing a pillow for himself. They were all sitting horizontally on the bed with backs against the wall and legs stretched across the mattress, blanket-pile tucked up to their chests, though Tendo was fairly sure Hermann was close to burying himself nose-deep in the shared heat. His legs were a good deal colder and he and Newt properly sandwiched him between themselves, laptop propped on his knees and set to play at least a dozen episodes of _Law and Order: Criminal Intent_ , as none of them could find a movie they would actually have the attention span for. 

By the end of the first episode, Hermann had stopped shivering and Newt was absorbed, and Tendo was given the duty of holding Hermann’s hands to keep them warm, as Newt’s were occupied with cheese dust from the chips he’d been munching. By episode two they were all effectively curled into one large ball under the blankets and the great grudge between the K-Scientists was resolved via shared Newt letting Hermann bury his feet under his thighs, and even though it was still cold as balls, they had their little pocket and that was enough. 

“ That’s not even how hazmat quarantining works, dude, “ Newt piped up midway through the fourth hour, watching the aftermath of a radiation warning being sealed off for investigation. “ There’s so much more plastic. “

“ They have a plastic budget, “ Hermann argued only half-seriously, head against Tendo’s shoulder and nibbling on one of the cookies they’d snagged from the Mess on their way up to the room earlier. They had a small stockpile of non-refrigerated items in the case the power really was screwed for more than an afternoon and a morning, though the snacks had been thoroughly picked at. Newt snorted in disbelief. 

“ They so do not, they’re just lazy. It’s inaccurate television and I’m ashamed. “

“ They’re more worried about the legal and criminal aspects being accurate, I should think, “ Hermann said, head barely poking out from the blankets.

Another huff. “ Yeah? And why’s that? “

Tendo sputtered a little, rolling his eyes. “ It’s called _Law and Order_ , you goob. “

A chip assailed his head and he batted it away, sticking his tongue out in Newt’s direction and settling back to continue watching. There were a few more interruptions of that nature through the next couple of episodes -- mainly about legal loopholes and camera zoom capabilities -- but eventually the commentary died down and they were quiet, one in the morning rolling around with all of them starting to nod but still too invested in whether the mother or the daughter’s pyro boyfriend had actually started the house fire to doze off just yet. There seemed to be a silent agreement to crash afterwards, but there was a subplot continuation and they all groaned in distress, none of them moving to stop the autoplay from continuing into the next episode. 

Newt was out and snoring within ten minutes, and Hermann followed suit maybe ten after that, the biologist curled on his side with a pillow jammed up against Hermann’s lap for padding and Hermann sagged against Tendo’s shoulder, and he would have been out too if it weren’t for the damn foreshadowing that the serial killer wasn’t the same guy as before, and --

“ Mr. Choi? “ a familiar voice called with a knock on the door, and he looked up, blinking and yawning wearily before he moved to adjust Hermann and the laptop. He grumbled faintly, but Tendo stroked his undercut fuzz until he settled against the pillows without complaint, then carefully picked his way out of the valley of blankets, shivering as he hit cold floor. Picking his way over with a grimace, he shuddered and opened the door, yawning. 

Herc Hansen was standing in the hall with a floodlight in one hand, bundled in his usual cargo pants and boots and a couple of jackets to stave off the chill. He looked tired and Tendo rubbed a hand down his jaw, yawning again and straightening up. “ Herc, hey, “ he greeted, leaning on the frame a little. “ Checking up? “

He nodded tersely, seeming to fight off his own yawn as Tendo did. “ Yep. making sure everyone’s accounted for that’s left. I see you’ve got those two wrangled, “ he added, nodding towards the boys, crumpled in an awkward tangle of limbs and cast in a flickering glow from the laptop screen. 

“ Yeah. They were getting grumpy, “ Tendo replied, stretching a little and shivering again. “ And it’s still cold as hell. Any news on the heat? “

Herc sighed. “ ‘Fraid not. Sorry, mate. Fingers crossed for the morning but don’t hold your breath, “ he said, shaking his head a bit and nodding back towards the room. “ Just keeping updated. You should get back to it. “

“ You know, you could join us, “ he pointed out, though a little more quietly, even if there wasn’t hardly anyone else to be found. “ Tight squeeze but it’s kinda cozy. Warmer than it is out there, that’s for sure, and you don’t actually have to be up when the security stuff is going. Things can handle themselves for a few hours. “ He nodded towards the bed with a quirk of his brow, watching the Marshalls eyes roll and a sigh escape his lips. 

“ Go back to bed, Tendo, “ he said flatly, and the commander couldn’t help but smirk a little, waggling fingers after him as he turned to clomp off down the hall and resume his checking-in. He closed the door with another shudder and skittered back towards the bed, carefully closing down the laptop and setting it on the bedside table before he went about rearranging Newt and Hermann more properly for sleep. 

Newt was a dead weight and flopped against the pillows without much of a protest, and Hermann squirmed, just conscious enough to attempt to help the movement and fail. Eventually they were a little more vertical along the mattress, Hermann once more in the middle and Newt and Tendo to either side of him, and the blankets tucked up close and tight. The soft glow of the emergency lighting was barely enough to see by, let alone keep him up, and he was nodding off within minutes, forehead resting against Hermann’s shoulder in their cocoon of shared body heat, comfortably curled around one side of him. 

 

~~~Bonus~~~

 

The sound of the door sliding open and shut jarred him a bit around three, and he lifted his head away from Hermann’s shoulder, looking over his shoulder into the dark room. He couldn’t see much, but a hand rested in his hair and nudged him to lay back down, and he did with a little sigh, listening to the familiar sounds of undress a couple of feet away. Before long there was a weight dipping the mattress and a gruff mumble, the blankets lifting away temporarily and leaving him chilled until they settled down over a brawnier form, a hand laying over his waist loosely and chest pressed against his back where he lay.

Tendo smirked a little into the pillow, patting Herc’s hand lightly. “ Comfy, Marshall? “ 

“ Shaddup, Choi. “


End file.
